The fuzziest finalist was Mr Charlie, a horizontal mass of grey and black wagging fur, while the toy entry, Panda, a Shih Tzu, drew the broadest laughs with an ill-timed shake of the hips that required a speedy coif-adjustment.

In the end, Best in Show judge Richard Meen, a Toronto psychiatrist with more than 50 years in the purebred dog world, picked the stately CJ over the motley crew of elite canines.

"Just a beautiful dog," Meen said afterwards at a news conference with CJ and his breeder, who described the dog's coat as "white-ticked and liver" colored.

CJ is the third German Shorthaired Pointer to win Westminster and a descendant of the other two champs, including his grandmother "Carlee," who won in 2005, said his co-breeder, co-owner and handler, Valerie Nunes-Atkinson.

The three-year-old CJ only began showing six months ago, but Nunes-Atkinson sensed immediately he was a natural.

"When he was born, he was an old soul," she said. "Six weeks old, we knew there was something special."

On Sunday, July 13, the 2014 Unleashed by Petco Surf Dog competition took place at San Diego, Calif.'s Imperial Beach. With events held for large, medium, and small dogs, as well as a tandem event, there was more than enough action for spectators and four-legged-participants alike.
In its ninth year, the event raises money for the Humane Society, and this year's competition saw 50 dogs take to the water.
Following are some of the gritty (and wet) canine surfers in search of that perfect wave. Above, three dogs find out how easy surfing is when you're not in the water.